If You Catch a Dream
by Rachel3
Summary: A girl shows up at the high school with even more of a closed-off personality than Rogue. Pietro sees her and she becomes his fascination-of-the-week...but will it lead to something more? What is she hiding? A dark story that begins on a light note, but w
1. Haunting Eyes

Chapter One: Haunting Eyes  
  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the X-Men or the Brotherhood. I WISH I owned Pietro, but, alas, if wishes were fishes-So, anyways, I present this bizarre fanfic to you. ALL POEMS are my own and belong to ME. This fanfic was odd to begin, because I dreamed about it, and I know how the middle and the end go, but hey, I tried to make a beginning of this-hope it's alright.^_^ Oh, and this is going to get darker and darker, as most of my stories do, and deal with some major issues later on.^_^; And because of idiotic document formatting, I have to use dashes instead of ellipses. Sorry.^_^; ah,YES. I have edited this story a bit to keep up with the newer episodes as I catch up to the current point of the series. :feels sheepish: Oh, and this is after Wanda has been brainwashed.  
  
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'Spinning around inside my mind-  
No beginning and no end-  
To the madness as it consumes me from within./  
  
I hear you call-  
My name from your lips-  
Seems so natural and causes such pain./  
  
I thought I knew you-  
I thought I knew myself-  
But I was wrong in the eternity that closed me away./  
  
I only wanted-  
What no one else ever dared-  
To make you see something beyond yourself./  
  
The world has crashed-  
Around my feet as it cries-  
The tears made of my blood.'  
  
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The girl looked around her with a few outward signs of anxiety. She walked into the hall with slow, measured steps, the black leather boots making soft clicks against the floor tiles. A new school-new enemies, new people to hate her. Why had she thought anything would change? Nothing ever changed. Almost ironically, they didn't hate her for being a mutant- no, her powers weren't obvious at all, really. They did not even know she was one. They hated her because she was a freak, a "weirdo." Sighing, she walked into the girls' bathroom and looked in the mirror. Pale skin, large green eyes with black lids and inky eyeliner, hip-length auburn hair with more brown than red, black-painted lips, black velvet shirt-She had never considered herself "goth," really-she only dressed to match how she felt inside-black. After a quick reapplication of lipstick for the sake of feeling as if she'd come into the bathroom to actually do something, she left in search of her first class at the new school.  
  
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Lunch seemed to arrive sooner than she'd expected. She managed to avoid eye contact-and thus, social interaction-and any sort of association- social or otherwise-with everyone so far. Unbeknownst to her, however, someone had noticed the "new girl" and was watching her closely. Someone who really wasn't supposed to be there at all.  
  
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"Who's that? I've never seen her before. She's darker-looking that that x-geek, what's-her-face. So, do any of you know who she is?" The speaker looked around at the other members of the Brotherhood.  
  
They blinked at each other while they took in Pietro's comments and questions, which seemed even faster than his normal speech rate.  
  
Finally, Lance shrugged. " I think her name's Auria or something. Why? She's not really hot or anything." His own gaze was on Kitty.  
  
Pietro rolled his eyes at Lance and continued to watch the new girl with a thoughtful expression on his face. 'Something funny about her-I know there is." After only a few seconds, however, he spoke again.  
  
"Give it up, already, Lance, she's never going to come back to you. Come on, let's split before we are spotted-we're expelled, remember? We might as well go-Magneto told us not to hang around here too much, anyways. We should go before something happens that my father does not have planned."  
  
"Or before you develop another little 'obsession,'" mumbled Lance under his breath. It seemed it had only been a few days since Pietro had gotten over his last little 'obsession,' and Lance was not ready to handle another one-at least his obsession stayed on one person, regardless of how futile that obsession now was. Pietro was as fickle as the wind, it seemed. Unfortunately, Pietro seemed to have forgotten that he'd been planning on leaving.  
  
"Yo, Pietro! C'mon, let's go already, man." Toad attempted to help Lance out a little bit-though it may simply have been the fear of retribution from Magneto (or other work)-but it didn't seem to be getting through to Pietro. After a few more seconds, however, he seemed to snap out of it.  
  
"Oh, right. We were leaving-let's go, then, come on, lunch's almost up."  
  
And he took off for the place the Brotherhood called home, leaving a bewildered Toad, Fred and Lance behind, looking at each other with rather confused looks on their faces. Shrugging, they followed, though at a slower, more human sort of pace-after all, they weren't Quicksilver.  
  
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Auria turned around slowly, her eyes narrowing-but nothing was there. Slapping her forehead, she tried to shrug it off-but she was almost positive that someone had been watching her-oh, well. It must have just been her imagination. But, for a split-second, she would have sworn up and down on the image she saw of blue eyes-but of course, she had just imagined seeing them-right? ************************************************************************  
  
Logan looked at the Professor. He had been very quiet-more than usual, really-and seemed to be concentrating. Logan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.  
  
"Charles? What is the deal here? What's going on?"  
  
The Professor opened his eyes. "Logan-I think we have a new mutant around- but I'm not positive, just yet. We'll have to wait until something turns up- but I don't think Magneto's involved."  
  
"Right, then." Logan cracked his knuckles. "S'long as Magneto ain't involved, I guess I won't have to hurt anything tonight."  
  
Professor Xavier laughed and slowly Logan joined in with his own rough chuckle.  
  
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Auria walked home slowly. She had no real reason to be home, anyway. They'd never know if she was late-they didn't even know when school let out!  
  
The brunette began to get the feeling of being watched for the second time that day. Whirling around, she still saw nothing, however. Frustrated, Auria yelled, "Who ARE you? Just come OUT already!"  
  
Suddenly, someone did come out, and was right beside her, with her arm firmly in grip by his slim, delicate-looking fingers. Auria screamed out of sheer shock, though it made her feel very stupid and 'damsel-in-distress- ish' afterwards, which was one thing she never enjoyed feeling like.  
  
"Shh, it's not like I'm going to hurt you, after all, you aren't one of those x-geeks-you're just an interesting girl, so hello to you. My name is Pietro-Pietro Maximoff, in fact. So, what's yours?"  
  
Her brow furrowed as she took in the torrent of information.  
  
"Ummm-I'm Auria-Ria to my friends-or I would be-if I had any friends." Her voice trailed off as she spoke, a slight bitterness to her words. Then she looked thoughtful and turned her face up to look straight at him, eyes flashing, as she pulled her arm away. "How did you get here so fast?! And without making a sound?!"  
  
Pietro simply grinned. "Nevermind all that, there's no need to worry you about it or anything. But seriously-Ria, right? Nice name. Where did you come from? Couldn't have been anywhere too great-I wasn't there, after all." He gave what he felt was his most charming, dashing grin.  
  
Ria gave him a skeptical look with one brow raised, arms crossed.  
  
"Riiiiiiiight-I'll be going now, thanks." She turned to walk away, but Pietro was in front of her, blocking her escape. He grabbed her arm and tried the smile again.  
  
"Don't walk away so fast-I could just catch up, anways, but-C'mon, don't you want to see and explore the town, maybe catch a movie? No one better than me to do that with-come on!"  
  
"Umm-no. Can I get by, please?" Auria tried to shove past-but Pietro was gone, suddenly. "What the-?!" Sighing and shaking her head, she walked to the rest of the way home, still feeling a bit confused.  
  
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As she sat in her room waiting and sketching, trying to come up with something worthwhile, Ria remembered something-that boy had had blue eyes! The same ones she could swear she had seen before then-perhaps she hadn't imagined it after all-but how did he move so quickly? Unless-no, surely not. But it continued to weigh so heavily on her mind that she could not concentrate on her normal hobbies.  
  
Throwing down the drawing pencils in annoyance, Ria picked up her favorite ballpoint pen and grabbed a notebook. After thinking for a few moments, she opened the book to a blank page and began to write, letting the words flow without thought.  
  
'Swiftly down do I run,  
Wait by the river for the world to come.  
Darkening sky,  
Night draws near.  
I see in your eyes-the pain And the secrets there.  
  
Waiting until I can wait no more,  
The sun is rising now and I must be assured.  
Lightening clouds,  
The sun with its rays.  
I see into your soul-something is there still.  
  
Running now until the dusk,  
I meet you in the moonlight.  
Darkness encompasses us,  
Beautiful moonlit night.  
Green into blue and the world fades away into eternity.'  
  
Glaring at the paper, the brunette slammed the notebook shut and fell back to her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The only thought that went through her head was, 'Why?' After a few hours, however, another thought found it's way in. 'What the heck did he mean by "x-geeks?" As she drifted into sleep, the blueness of the odd, speedy boy's eyes seemed to burn into her brain.  
  
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Pietro zipped into the Brotherhood home just as the moon showed over the trees. His sister was waiting on him. "So, Pietro-what were you doing? Out striking out again?" She gave him a hard look that said, 'cough it up, now.' Pietro was not in the world of the obvious however.  
  
"No, of course I didn't 'strike out' as you put it so nicely. I, in fact, how could I? I've already won her with my charm. She just doesn't know it yet." Humming happily-and very speedily-to himself, Pietro went to his room as his sister rolled her eyes and shrugged.  
  
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Author's Note: I hope this was tolerable-I try very hard.^_^; It was fun to write, at any rate-AP English test which decides if I get college credit for Junior(high school) AP English class! If I make a 4 or 5, I do!(5 is the highest!) My third year in advanced English-fun. :sarcasm: Well, must really sleep now. Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE review, but do realize that this character (Ria) is a lot like me, so don't criticize to harshly, I am incredibly emotional and sensitive, alright? Thank you all for understanding. ( I would say ya'all, since I AM from Louisiana-but considering this is X-Men Evolution fanfic, I don't think I will. Rogue uses it too many times for me to hope not to confuse people.) 


	2. See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Chapter Two: See No Evil, Hear No Evil  
  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the X-Men or the Brotherhood. I WISH I owned Pietro, but, alas, if wishes were fishes-So, anyways, I present this bizarre fanfic to you. ALL POEMS are my own and belong to ME. This fanfic was odd to begin, because I dreamed about it, and I know how the middle and the end go, but hey, I tried to make a beginning of this-hope it's alright.^_^ Oh, and this is going to get darker and darker, as most of my stories do, and deal with some major issues later on.^_^; And because of idiotic document formatting, I have to use dashes instead of ellipses. Sorry.^_^; ((OH, and if anyone was wondering, NO, the Brotherhood aren't actually-erm-attending classes-they were expelled, remember?-they are just there to humor Lance-on occasion(despite Kitty's burst of scorn towards him)-and now Pietro, though he'll be coming alone sometimes, too. Of course, I doubt they attended much class to begin with, even before they were expelled-lol.^_^; Just wanted to clear that up before anyone asked.)) A lot of this is based on the fact that Pietro loves a challenge-lol.^_^ Edited this to keep up with currently seen episodes as I catch up.^_^'  
  
****************************************************************** 'I never saw, I never knew, I tried to hide away From everything that hurt me. I tried to make it all disappear- See no evil./  
  
I never heard, I never knew, I tried to ignore it all To keep from being hurt. I tried to imagine it never existed- Hear no evil./  
  
I never thought, I never knew, I tried to keep it inside So that no one would ever know as much about me as I did. I tried to be a one-person- island- Speak no evil./  
  
I never saw, I never knew, It is the end of everything Because I don't want anything. I try to live each day without caring. See no evil, hear no evil.'  
  
************************************************************************ Ria dressed hurriedly and grabbed her school things with a quick scoop of her hands. Snatching her lunch from the counter, she ran out to the bus stop, hoping that no one would try to sit next to her or anything. Auria liked her privacy. However, when the bus pulled up, the thing looked packed, like sardines in a tin. Eyes widening, Ria shook her head and walked away. "Forget it! I wouldn't ride that bus if you paid me!" Sighing, she prepared herself for a fairly long walk.  
  
************************************************************************ Pietro had noticed this with some amount of interest. 'Guess she doesn't think much of crowds. Good. Neither do I-If there are too many people, it's harder to move swiftly.' He gave a little smile to himself. 'Well, she may play hard-to-get for awhile, but she won't be able to resist forever. I'm perfection, after all. She couldn't aim any higher, so she ought to fall easily.' ((A/N: You have to love his silly little arrogance- lol))  
  
************************************************************************ Auria sighed with exasperation as she saw that odd boy-what was his name?- from the corner of her eye. She rolled both expressively and whirled around. "Look, Pier or whatever your name is! STOP FOLLOWING ME! I KNOW you don't go to Bayville, and I don't want to go around town, to a movie, a restaurant, the bowls of the Underworld, or ANYwhere ELSE with you, OK?! " Her eyes flashed a warning.  
  
Pietro was almost taken aback. 'What? But-My charm NEVER fails-She must just be pretending! Yes, that's it-this is all some sort of game intended to entice me even more! Of course!" He smiled a 'winning' smile and ran his hand through his hair.  
  
"You can't possibly mean that-come on, just try one date, I guarantee you'll be back for more-they always come back for more-you won't regret it, I promise."  
  
Ria stormed over until her nose nearly touched his, her eyes narrowed into warlike slits. "THEY? Oh, yes, DO impress me by telling my what a chauvinistic philandering player you are. THAT always makes girls fall head over heels with a guy, you know." She rolled her eyes, and before Pietro could react, she had slapped him hard, across the cheek.  
  
"Hey, babe, what was THAT for?! I swear, I didn't mean it like that, I was just trying to say you'd have fun, cause how could you NOT have fun with a guy like me? I mean, I'm the best around here!"  
  
From five feet away, Auria turned and glared straight at him, clutching her books close. "Don't EVER call me 'babe' again. EVER." And she turned back and continued to school, leaving a rather taken aback Pietro behind, still trying to figure out what he had done wrong, other than open his mouth.  
  
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Auria stepped into the front hall still unable to clear her mind. 'WHY does he linger so?! I swear-it just makes no sense! He's such an idiot-I don't even remember his name! Honestly-I must be going insane, thinking of someone who's obviously so against commitment as HIM. I'd better get to class now, anyways, before I'm late so soon in my stay here.' Tossing her long auburn hair back, Ria walked on to her classroom, attempting to lose all thoughts of blue eyes behind thoughts of schoolwork and how she would avoid the others at lunch.  
  
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Lunch rolled around again, and this time Ria walked away from the area where most of the kids ate lunch. Sighing, she sat between two trees and took her lunch out. Sandwich, chips, soda-her parents weren't being very original today. How odd of them. She slowly became aware of someone's eyes being upon her as she consumed her chips.  
  
"Pi-Pir-Piy-whatever, is that you?" Auria asked, an edge to her voice. He seemed to just materialize, it seemed-but she did notice an oddly swift current in the wind right before he appeared.  
  
"It's PIETRO. At least get my name right when you insult me, if that's what you intend to do." 'YES-maybe THIS angle would get her. Act like he didn't mind. Yes, that was it-must be.'  
  
"There's something odd about you-the way you move and talk-so fast. Not normal, at least, and I wouldn't find that so terribly strange, if you weren't able to suddenly show up, and the wind didn't pick up in an almost whirlwind-ish sort of way right before your appearances." She raised a brow at him. "Want to elaborate, or should I just yell at you to go away, since otherwise you aren't the best of company or anything. Hearing you explain the oddity will at least make you tolerable."  
  
Pietro grinned and winked. "The only way I'll explain is if you agree to go on one date-just one, I promise I won't force you to go on another date-at least not with this information." 'YES! I am indeed perfect-she's obviously burning with curiosity, so this ought to work wonderfully well! I am a genius!'  
  
Ria glared angrily. 'Stupid arrogant-how did HE know I have this horrible habit of being incredibly curious about ANYthing that seems strange to me?! No, calm down-he doesn't know anything about you. He doesn't know you're a mutant or anything-he certainly doesn't know you're secretly a very curious- minded person. It's alright.'  
  
"I'll think about it, that's all. Now go away."  
  
Pietro grinned inwardly and did an elaborate bow. "Instantly. But DO tell me your final decision when next we meet-which will be in, oh, three hours. See you then." Sighing, Ria finished her lunch and left, not even thinking about how swiftly the boy had went away.  
  
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School seemed to pass too quickly for Ria, who had not decided whether to give in to her curiosity or to thwart his obvious plans for a date, since he apparently was far too sure of himself for anyone's good, especially his own. Shaking her head, she walked slowly out of the last class-which must have been too slow for Pietro. He was waiting outside of the classroom for her, causing her to let out an "eep!" of shock when she exited. Before Auria could even attempt to get away-futile as that would have been-He had placed an arm around her shoulders, causing her obvious discomfort, as well as attracting attention that she wanted to yell at him for bringing upon her-expelled 'thugs' tended to draw a good bit of attention, after all-none of it good, either. Alas, she was unable to do so, as that would only make things worse. So she went along with it, stewing silently and plotting her revenge.  
  
Others noticed this, too. Others who were most definitely not fond of Pietro Maximoff. Kurt and Scott looked at one another and Kurt made a skeptical face. Scott shrugged and, spotting Jean, waved. Within a few moments, the incident seemed forgotten, buried behind discussions of classes and quizzes.  
  
"So, what do you say? Yes, No? No more 'maybe' allowed, alright, ba-er, Ria? Come on, it won't be so bad-It could be worse-it could be Toad." He pointed at Lance's jeep, which contained Toad and Lance, currently.  
  
Ria didn't make any movements of revulsion, but the idea obviously appealed to her even LESS than the idea of Pietro did.  
  
Frustrated and hopeful that if she went on a date, he might leave her alone, Auria sighed and nodded, pulling away from him sharply and stopping.  
  
"Fine. BUT, don't think you've WON anything or anything like that. This is JUST an-an outing, NOT a date, as far as I'm concerned. I don't DATE ANYone. This is purely for scientific research-I want to know how you're moving and so on with such speed. That's ALL, alright??!"  
  
Pietro gave a charming smile. "Of course. Come along, then, this is our ride. The one driving is Lance, and I already told you who Toad was. Watch his hands."  
  
With a sense of foreboding and great resignation, Ria allowed herself to be helped into the jeep, shaking her head inwardly at her weakness for curiosity.  
  
"So, you FINALLY have a date that doesn't involve school dances- which are a bit hard to attend nowadays? Or was this possibly out of pity or simply to get rid of you, Pietro?"  
  
"Shut up, Lance. Of COURSE I have a date-I'm Pietro Maximoff, remember? I can have whoever I want, whenever I want. I always get my way." Turning to his 'date,' Pietro smiled his best 'I'm-sexy-and-you-know-you-want-me' smile and said in a smooth-sort of voice, obviously designed to seduce, "You're not going to want to ever forget today, I can promise you that." He winked one of his incredibly blue eyes at her.  
  
Ria rolled her eyes and sank back into the seat, pulling her books close to her as if they were a shield and wondering exactly WHAT she had gotten herself into for the sake of satisfying her inquisitiveness. She was getting the feeling that not only would she want to forget this day, she would be unable to and come to rue it as well. 'Then why does it feel like his eyes are getting to me?? Oh-wait. Maybe that's WHY I'm feeling like this is definitely a BAD idea-.'  
  
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Author's Note: I hope this was tolerable-I try very hard.^_^; It was really fun to write, at any rate. I found it kind of entertaining.Well, must really sleep now. Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE review, but do realize that this character (Ria) is a lot like me, so don't criticize to harshly, I am incredibly emotional and sensitive, alright? Thank you all for understanding. ( I would say ya'all, since I AM from Louisiana-but considering this is X-Men Evolution fanfic, I don't think I will. Rogue uses it too many times for me to hope not to confuse people.) Also, this fic WILL get darker, as many readers of my other stuff can tell you. It's going to deal with a LOT of issues, so, if you can't handle that, better quit while you're ahead. Thanks to those who've reviewed! ((Thanks Kat!!^_^^_^-I know her from school.)) Next chapter is 'Better Left Unsaid'. Should be added tomorrow.^_^; 


	3. Better Left Unsaid

Chapter Three: Better Left Unsaid  
  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the X-Men or the Brotherhood. I WISH I owned Pietro, but, alas, if wishes were fishes-So, anyways, I present this bizarre fanfic to you. ALL POEMS are my own and belong to ME. This fanfic was odd to begin, because I dreamed about it, and I know how the middle and the end go, but hey, I tried to make a beginning of this-hope it's alright.^_^ Oh, and this is going to get darker and darker, as most of my stories do, and deal with some major issues later on.^_^; And because of idiotic document formatting, I have to use dashes instead of ellipses. Sorry.^_^; ((OH, and if anyone was wondering, NO, the Brotherhood aren't actually-erm-attending classes-they were expelled, remember?-they are just there to humor Lance-on occasion(despite Kitty's burst of scorn towards him)-and now Pietro, though he'll be coming alone sometimes, too. Of course, I doubt they attended much class to begin with, even before they were expelled-lol.^_^; Just wanted to clear that up before anyone asked.)) A lot of this is based on the fact that Pietro loves a challenge-lol.^_^  
  
****************************************************************** 'These tears inside I cry, I cannot back down, I must stay strong for myself, I have nothing else./  
  
These dreams inside I see, I must not listen, I must pretend I do not feel, I have no other defense./  
  
These thoughts inside I know, I will be torn apart, I must not think about things, That are better left unsaid.'  
  
************************************************************************ Auria's eyes widened as she realized that they were approaching her house.  
  
"Hey!" She yelped, snatching Pietro's arm and shaking it viciously before he could react.  
  
"Calm down and let go! I can't take you out like that, can I? I mean, most girls like to look their best when they go out on a date, you know, so I figured you might at least change."  
  
Anger flared into her green eyes and they began to narrow.  
  
"WHAT?! FIRST-This is NOT a date, remember? SECOND-YOU aren't changing, why should I?!"  
  
Pietro gave a crafty sort of grin that spread to his eyes, and folded his fingers together.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, c'mon-remember that secret you want to know? Well, to complete my request, so that I'll tell you, you have to get dressed up a little." He smirked as he spoke, his voice very 'You-know-you-wanna-know.'  
  
Sighing and rolling her eyes exaggeratedly, Ria hopped out of the jeep without missing a beat and walked briskly to her front door, entering and heading straight for her room.  
  
************************************************************************ After about fifteen minutes, during which Pietro tapped his fingers and ignored jibes from his companions about how 'she probably ran off and wasn't coming out at all,' Auria stepped back out onto the front porch.  
  
Pietro's jaw dropped slightly, and Toad let out a whistle. The reason was very obvious-the once-plain, average-looking girl had seemed to change dramatically, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Her long hair was pulled back into some strange bun-sort of thing, with tiny black clips at the sides. She was wearing a long black skirt made of some sort of silky- looking material, with slits on each side up to her knees that laced up loosely with silk ribbons. Her top was a black brocade corset with three small black silk roses at the top. She also was wearing jewelry- long black pearl drop earrings and a matching necklace. Her makeup was changed from earlier, and while the eyeshadow was still black, it now shimmered slightly, and her lips were a dark, blood red, almost black but not quite. She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What? You SAID to dress up, so I DID. So, come on, then, let's get this OVER with."  
  
'Curse my curiosity AND my love of dressing up.' Mentally she kicked herself repeatedly-she hadn't intended to look nice enough for anyone to be impressed. But surely they couldn't REALLY be that impressed-she wasn't THAT pretty, after all.  
  
Pietro nodded self-satisfactorily at himself and his 'friends.' He knew she hadn't been ugly, but he hadn't really completely realized that she was that PRETTY at all-He'd been more interested in her for her attitude and the fact that she seemed impossible to get close to.  
  
********************************************************************** Auria sighed and walked up to the jeep. With a little less grace than before, she made it into the vehicle without any of the proffered assistance. She scooted as close as possible to the door, although something inside told her that might not be safe, in THIS vehicle, and crossed her arms, a scowl on her face like a dark cloud waiting to rain down on the world.  
  
'I knew this was a stupid idea, right from the start-WHY did I EVER agree to this??!'  
  
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As they pulled up to the movie theatre, Lance grinned a rather knowing sort of smile and winked at Pietro.  
  
"Have fun-if she doesn't kill you first." He laughed to himself.  
  
"Haha, VERY funny, Lance. Considering Kitty won't even give you the time of the day, I wouldn't talk if I were you."  
  
Lance's expression changed very quickly, and he glared at Pietro with a look that seemed as if it could kill.  
  
Pietro rolled his eyes and jumped out of the jeep, pulling Ria none-too- delicately with him.  
  
"HEY! Watch it! I'm not incapable of being hurt, you know!"  
  
Toad grinned and called out after them, "Yo, Pietro! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"  
  
Somehow, this did not reassure Auria.  
  
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Auria tried to keep at least a foot away from Pietro as they walked up to the ticket counter, but he seemed to just appear at her shoulder every time she managed to pull her arm away from him. Finally, Ria simply gave up and vowed that as soon as she knew what enabled him to go places so swiftly, she'd have nothing to do with him-even if she had to hide.  
  
Pietro smiled to himself. 'Bravo, you have her right where you want her- well, not RIGHT where you want her, that would be-somewhere else entirely. With a lot less people. But, she IS bursting with curiosity-enough to even dress up, after all. This should be good-very good. Even if I DO have to actually pay for the tickets, since to sneak in the way I normally would is impossible without revealing my secret earlier than I'd like.' The ticket administrator nodded at him as if they were friends, but Pietro just snarled slightly at him and took his tickets.  
  
"C'mon, then, Ria. We should go on in, to get good seats. People like me don't like to be forced to sit in seats that are obviously inferior."  
  
"You don't seem so great to me, but I like to have good seats, so I suppose I'll ignore your arrogance for now."  
  
He smirked and opened the door for her, playing the gentlemen for a few moments as he allowed her to step into the cool of the air-conditioned movie theatre first. Instantly, Pietro was again at her arm, and she blinked in shock for a second.  
  
'I swear, he couldn't POSSIBLY be moving that fast without-no, he COULDN'T be! I must be losing my mind.'  
  
Later, During the Movie-  
  
"Take your arm OFF of my shoulders, thank you very much."  
  
"Alright, alright. Fine."  
  
"And this time, please LEAVE it OFF."  
  
Pietro mumbled and glared at the girl next to him, although it didn't seem to phase Ria a bit. 'Yeah, well, this date isn't over yet-I refuse to get absolutely nothing out of this.'  
  
************************************************************************  
  
When the movie ended, Ria stood, arms crossed and foot tapping.  
  
"Well--? Aren't you going to tell me now?"  
  
Pietro grabbed her arm and pulled it from the other, running his hand down to her own hand and latching the fingers tightly together.  
  
"HEY!! Let GO!" Ria yelped.  
  
He laughed. "This isn't over yet. We have to eat supper before I take you home, after all. Come on, don't spoil the fun-besides, you MUST be hungry after that LONG movie. And I'll pay-come on!" He gave a 'winning' smile.  
  
Rolling her eyes and making an exasperated noise, Auria only nodded. She tried to pull her hand away, but found herself unable to.  
  
"Don't pull away. At least LOOK like you're enjoying yourself, it'll be a little more encouraging for me, after all, and without encouragement, I can't tell you my secret. So, come on, act a little happier."  
  
Ria plastered a fake smile across her face.  
  
"Is THIS better?"  
  
Pietro chuckled and smirked.  
  
"We should be able to walk to a nice place from here. Let's go."  
  
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Author's Note: I hope this was tolerable-I try very hard. It's a little short, I think-sorry.^_^; It was really fun to write, at any rate. I found it kind of entertaining. The next chapter will also be about the next part of the "date." Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE review, but do realize that this character (Ria) is a lot like me, so don't criticize to harshly, I am incredibly emotional and sensitive, alright? Thank you all for understanding. ( I would say ya'all, since I AM from Louisiana-but considering this is X-Men Evolution fanfic, I don't think I will. Rogue uses it too many times for me to hope not to confuse people.) Also, this fic WILL get darker, as many readers of my other stuff can tell you. It's going to deal with a LOT of issues, so, if you can't handle that, better quit while you're ahead. Thanks to those who've reviewed! ((Thanks Kat!!^_^^_^-I know her from school.)) Next chapter is 'Dance Into the Darkness'. (Which won't be as depressing as it sounds-the depressingness won't come into the story until later.) Should be added tomorrow or later tonight.^_^; 


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